MacOS X screensavers
(old MacDim savers are here)

I think all MacOS X users know that we (finally) have a built-in screensaver engine...

Big News, I started localizing my savers. If you want to contribute with an unsupported language, please read this.

Note about the shareware fee.

Another big news: I started a Yahoo group for announcements and discussions. Sign here:

Click to subscribe to UselessSoft Yahoo group

News: I changed a little bit the page layout.

I hope you find this change useful.

Other Things
All Dec. 30, 2001 Include: Flame 1.0.1, LangtonAnts 1.0.2, Rocks 1.0.3, StarSpiral 1.1.2, Galaxy 1.0.0, Coral 1.0.4, Bumps 1.0.0, Hopalong 1.0.3, StonerView 1.0.2, Dim 1.0.0, Pedal 1.0.1
No sources included. (Note: slanted means out-of-date).
TestEffects 1.0 A couple of utils for screensaver programmers: colormap construction and erasing effects.
Ported from xscreensaver for Linux. Sources and test screensaver included.		 Last update:

Jul. 15, 2001

Not-OpenGL screensavers (previews)
Bumps 1.4.0
sources		 Bumps takes an image and exposes small, distorted sections of it as if through an odd wandering spotlight beam.
Originally by Shane Smit <blackend@inconnect.com>, 8-Oct-1999		 Last update:

Feb. 12, 2003

Coral 1.1.0
sources		 Do you want to see the mold fill your screen like in an agar ?
Originally written by "Frederick G.M. Roeber", <roeber@netscape.com>
Sources included.		 Last update:

Aug. 3, 2002

Dim 1.0.0
sources		 Long time ago, for MacOS 7.0 and later, there was a simple and effective screensaver called "MacDim", by Ibrium HB (http://www.ibrium.se).
One of it's features was the "dimming" mode. In dimming mode the screen becomes darker instead of completely black (or with an effect).
This saver do the same thing.		 Last update:

Dec. 29, 2001
Flame 1.1.0
sources		 Flame it's a fractal screensaver (another). It draw "weird cosmic fractals"
Originally by Scott Graves <spot@cs.cmu.edu>		 Last update:

Aug. 5, 2002

Galaxy 1.0.0
sources		 Galaxy is a retrò screensaver. It draws spinning galaxies.
Originally by Uli Siegmund <uli@wombat.okapi.sub.org> on Amiga		 Last update:

Dec. 24, 2001
Hopalong 1.1.0
sources		 Hopalong it's a fractal screensaver. It generates real plane fractals as described in
the September 1986 issue of Scientific American.
Originally by Patrick J. Naughton.		 Last update:

Oct. 15, 2002

LangtonAnts 1.0.2
sources		 Langton's Ants cellular automata. Aka, small ants drawing a complex mosaic.
 Last update:

Dec. 30, 2001
Pedal 1.2.0
sources		 The pedal program displays pretty geometric pictures.
Originally by Dale Moore <Dale.Moore@cs.cmu.edu>.		 Last update:

Nov. 15, 2002

rd_bomb 1.0.0
sources		 rd_bomb draws reaction/diffusion textures. Simple, but mesmerizing
Originally by Scott Draves <spot@cs.cmu.edu>, 9/97.
 Last update:

Feb. 2, 2002
Rocks 1.0.3
sources		 Animation of flying through an asteroid field (equal to RocksGL)
Originally written by John Nguyen, <johnn@hx.lcs.mit.edu>
Sources included.
Note: there's also an OpenGL version of this. See below.		 Last update:

Dec. 30, 2001

OpenGL screensavers (previews)
FieldLines 1.1.0
sources		 FieldLines is a simulation of the electric field lines between charged particles. Physics never looked so good.
Originally by Terence M. Welsh <mogumbo@totalmail.com>. See reallyslick.com		 Last update:

Jul. 10, 2002

Helios 1.4.0
sources		 "Throw together some attraction/repulsion particle effects and some smooth surfaces and this is what you get. It's pretty insane >=)"
Originally by Terence M. Welsh <mogumbo@totalmail.com>. See reallyslick.com		 Last update:

Jan. 29, 2003

Hypertorus 1.0.0
sources		 Hypertorus - shows the Clifford torus as it rotates in 4d.
Algorithm by Carsten Steger <carsten@mirsanmir.org>
 Last update:

Jul. 1, 2003
ifs 1.1.1
sources		 ifs it's a fractal screensaver. It draws spinning, colliding iterated-function-system. Pretty simple, but beautiful indeed.
Originally by Massimino Pascal <Pascal.Massimon@ens.fr>, 1997
 Last update:

Nov. 1, 2002

NerveRot 1.1.0
sources		 The goal of NerveRot is to be interesting and compelling to watch, yet induce a state of nervous edginess in the viewer.
Originally by Dan Bornstein, <danfuzz@milk.com>
 Last update:

Aug. 5, 2002

RocksGL 1.0.0a
sources		 Animation of flying through an asteroid field (equal to Rocks)
Originally written by John Nguyen, <johnn@hx.lcs.mit.edu>
Sources included.
Note: there's also a not-OpenGL version of this. See above.		 Last update:

Jan. 30, 2002

Spheremonics 1.0.0
sources		 Spheremonics - 3d spherical harmonic shapes.
Algorithm by Paul Bourke <pbourke@swin.edu.au>
xscreensaver version by Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>
Sources included		 Last update:

Jan. 26, 2003

StarSpiral 1.1.2
sources		 As the name says, a star spiral. NeHe OpenGL tutorial, lesson 9...
Originally by Jeff Molofee.
IMPORTANT: SEE THE NOTE ABOUT COPYRIGHTS.		 Last update:

Nov. 3, 2001

StonerView 1.4.0
sources		 At the beginning there was ElectroPaint (SGI machines).
Andrew Plotkin 's StonerView (for Macs and Unix) was inspired by ElectroPaint.
Now StonerView it's also for MacOS X.
What's SonerView ? Try it, words or pictures can't explain it well.
Code improvements by Andy Fyfe.		 Last update:

Feb. 22, 2003

If you have download problems, check out the backup site.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Due to the high customization available in some savers (particularly StarSpiral), I have to add a note on copyright.
You are allowed to do anything with this code, provided it remains free AND you don't make money from it AND you don't violate other copyrights.
Usually I don't give much attention to copyrights for my own code (basically 'cause I do porting), however in some cases it is necessary. Since I feel uncomfortable with legal mumbo-jumbo, I'll give some examples:
  1. You want to use some of my code in your program. RIGHT, unless you sell it and/or you don't give me the proper credits.
  2. You want to use copyrighted images. RIGHT, if you have the rights to do (aka, if the image is your and/or is for personal use) [that's why I can't use the Apple logo...].
  3. You want to include my SW in a magazine. RIGHT (please send me a copy of the magazine).
  4. You use my SW to make a company screensaver. WRONG, unless you give me the proper credits (for a definition of "proper", contact me).
  5. You use my SW to make e-art. RIGHT, but send me a copy, please.

As a matter of fact, the rule is: don't violate other copyrights, don't make money (directly or indirectly) and give credits. Where possible, publish the code.
END of the important note.

Note about optimization:
the code isn't well optimized, mainly because I don't like to spend hours trying to optimize a code without knowing where the bottleneck is (and I don't know how to use the profiler on a screensaver). Feel free to give me hints about this and I'll do my best, or optimize yourself the code and send me the updated (and commented) result.

Programmers (and users): please pay attention.
I put up a "MacOS X screensavers programming common errors and how-to avoid them" page. You can find it here. I hope you find it useful.
If you want contribute, e-mail me your "easy to do and easier to avoid" programming error and I'll put on line along with your name (or without, if you prefer...).

MacDim modules

MacDim is a modular screensaver. Each module is a small application written to be used by MacDim. A side-effect is you don't have to install MacDim just to try a module: you can launch it as a "normal" app !

Note: as I now own a MacOS X capable computer, I no longer support/develop MacDim modules, sorry. If you still need/want them, click here.

Legalese: all the software in this page is provided "as is". I do not respond for any damage or data loss derived from the use of it.

For any comment and suggestion, you can e-mail me.